Patents by Inventor Felix Mayer

Felix Mayer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7490511
    Abstract: The flow sensor comprises a heater arranged between two sensing thermopiles. In addition, at least one monitoring thermocouple is provided for measuring the temperature of the heater. The signal from the monitoring thermocouple is used as a reference voltage for an A/D converter, which converts the signals from the sensing thermopiles. This allows to increase the resolution of the converter at higher flows, which results in more accurate measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Moritz Lechner, Mark Hornung, Marc von Waldkirch
  • Publication number: 20080245145
    Abstract: A thermal flow sensor is equipped with a self-test unit that monitors the device and generates a fault signal in the presence of a malfunction. The self-test unit can e.g. monitor the integrity of a membrane carrying the heater and temperature sensors, or it can monitor various operational parameters of the device, thereby increasing the safety of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2008
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Mark Hornung, Marc von Waldkirch, Marcel Pluss
  • Publication number: 20080105035
    Abstract: The device comprises a housing with two humidity sensors. A first opening of the housing is placed onto or into the soil, while a second opening is located outside the soil in communication with the environment. A chamber extends in the housing between the first and the second opening. This chamber allows humidity to diffuse between the openings. The humidity sensors are located to measure the humidity at two spaced apart locations within the chamber. The difference of humidity measured at these two locations is a measure of soil moisture content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Inventors: Urs Rothacher, Felix Mayer
  • Publication number: 20080101971
    Abstract: The pump is provided with a plurality of pumping chambers and electrically activatable valves. An elastic membrane is arranged in each pumping chamber and divides the same into a first and a second chamber section. Each valve is connected to the second chamber section of a pumping chamber. When a pressure drop is applied over the valve and the valve is activated (i.e. opened), the pressure in the second chamber section changes, which causes the membrane to move, which in turn leads to a change of the volumes of both chamber sections. This e.g. allows to pump well-defined amounts of fluid from the chamber sections to a drug dispensing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Inventor: Felix Mayer
  • Publication number: 20080016945
    Abstract: The humidity detector comprises a housing adapted to hold a humidity sensor towards the windscreen of a vehicle or any other type of window. A flexible printed circuit board is arranged between the humidity sensor and the windscreen and provides a connection between the humidity sensor and further circuitry of the detector. The humidity sensor is located under a cap, which is engaged by a glider member. A spring pushes the glider member towards the windscreen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Inventors: Urs Rothacher, Felix Mayer, Moritz Lechner, Vincent Hess
  • Publication number: 20080006076
    Abstract: A method and device are disclosed for calibrating sensors, which sensors are arranged on semiconductor chips and are e.g. to be used for detecting a substance in a fluid. The sensors are calibrated while they are still assembled on a semiconductor wafer by exposing the wafer to a calibration fluid containing a known amount of the substance to be measured. Hence, rather than first cutting the wafer, the sensors are calibrated at an early stage. For this purpose, they are placed on a chuck below a lid. The calibration fluid with known parameters is introduced between the wafer and the lid. This allows to test and calibrate a large number of sensors quickly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Mathias Deschler, Urs Rothacher, Rene Hummel
  • Publication number: 20070275495
    Abstract: A pressure sensor is manufactured by joining two wafers (1a, 14), the first wafer comprising CMOS circuitry and the second being an SOI wafer. A recess is formed in the top material layer of the first wafer, which is covered by the silicon layer of the second wafer to form a cavity. Part or all of the substrate of the second wafer is removed to forming a membrane from the silicon layer. Alternatively, the cavity can be formed in the second wafer. The second wafer is electrically connected to the circuitry on the first wafer. This design allows to use standard CMOS processes for integrating circuitry on the first wafer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Johannes Buhler, Matthias Streiff, Robert Sunier
  • Publication number: 20070275494
    Abstract: A pressure sensor is manufactured by joining two wafers, the first wafer comprising CMOS circuitry and the second being an SOI wafer. A recess is formed in the top material layer of the first wafer, which is covered by the silicon layer of the second wafer to form a cavity. Part or all of the substrate of the second wafer is removed to forming a membrane from the silicon layer. Alternatively, the cavity can be formed in the second wafer. The second wafer is electrically connected to the circuitry on the first wafer. This design allows to use standard CMOS processes for integrating circuitry on the first wafer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Johannes Buhler, Matthias Streiff, Robert Sunier
  • Publication number: 20070241093
    Abstract: The flow sensor comprises a heater arranged between two sensing thermopiles. In addition, at least one monitoring thermocouple is provided for measuring the temperature of the heater. The signal from the monitoring thermocouple can be used to improve the accuracy of the device in several ways. In particular, the signal from the monitoring thermocouple depends on changes of the Seeback constant and other inherent properties of the thermopiles in the same way as the signal from the sensing thermopiles, which allows a compensation of such effects. The signal from the monitoring thermocouple can also be used as a reference voltage to an A/D converter for converting the signals from the sensing thermopiles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2007
    Publication date: October 18, 2007
    Inventors: Marc von Waldkirch, Mark Hornung, Felix Mayer, Moritz Lechner
  • Patent number: 7281405
    Abstract: A method and device are disclosed for calibrating sensors, which sensors are arranged on semiconductor chips and are e.g. to be used for detecting a substance in a fluid. The sensors are calibrated while they are still assembled on a semiconductor wafer by exposing the wafer to a calibration fluid containing a known amount of the substance to be measured. Hence, rather than first cutting the wafer, the sensors are calibrated at an early stage. For this purpose, they are placed on a chuck below a lid. The calibration fluid with known parameters is introduced between the wafer and the lid. This allows to test and calibrate a large number of sensors quickly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Mathias Deschler, Urs Rothacher, René Hummel
  • Publication number: 20070227242
    Abstract: The flow sensor comprises a heater arranged between two sensing thermopiles. In addition, at least one monitoring thermocouple is provided for measuring the temperature of the heater. The signal from the monitoring thermocouple is used as a reference voltage for an A/D converter, which converts the signals from the sensing thermopiles. This allows to increase the resolution of the converter at higher flows, which results in more accurate measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Moritz Lechner, Mark Hornung, Marc Waldkirch
  • Patent number: 7188519
    Abstract: For measuring the flow and the thermal conductivity of a fluid, a sensor is used, which has a first temperature detector for measuring a first temperature and a second temperature detector for measuring a second temperature. A heating is arranged between the temperature detectors. Two measured quantities are determined by means of the temperature detectors, a first of which is e.g. a difference between the temperatures and a second one of which is one of the temperatures. By comparing the two measured quantities, the flow and the thermal conductivity of the fluid can be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Mark Hornung, Jens Kubasch, Moritz Lechner, Felix Mayer
  • Publication number: 20060053862
    Abstract: A method and device are disclosed for calibrating sensors, which sensors are arranged on semiconductor chips and are e.g. to be used for detecting a substance in a fluid. The sensors are calibrated while they are still assembled on a semiconductor wafer by exposing the wafer to a calibration fluid containing a known amount of the substance to be measured. Hence, rather than first cutting the wafer, the sensors are calibrated at an early stage. For this purpose, they are placed on a chuck below a lid. The calibration fluid with known parameters is introduced between the wafer and the lid. This allows to test and calibrate a large number of sensors quickly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Mathias Deschler, Urs Rothacher, Rene Hummel
  • Patent number: 6920786
    Abstract: A flow detector comprises at least two housing parts with a semiconductor chip having an integrated flow sensor arranged between the housing parts. An opening is provided in one of the housing parts and at least one metal pin extends through the opening and forms an electrical lead-through. A hardened filler material is used for sealing the lead-through against the walls of the opening. This construction provides a well sealed cavity for the fluid to be measured and can be manufactured easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Mark Hornung, Moritz Lechner, Jens Kubasch
  • Patent number: 6813944
    Abstract: The flow sensor comprises a semiconductor device (1) on which a heat source and, symmetrically thereto, two temperature sensors are arranged. The semiconductor device (1) is arranged on an exterior side of a tube section (2), and a liquid, the flow velocity of which has to be measured, is led through the tube section (2). The temperature sensors and the heat source are in thermal contact with the exterior side of the tube section (2). It has been found that such an assembly allows to carry out flow measurements with high accuracy and sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Mark Rainer Hornung, Ralph Steiner Vanna
  • Patent number: 6779712
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flow sensor comprising a substrate with integrated heat source and temperature sensors. Solder bumps are arranged on the heat source and the temperature sensors and the substrate is attached to the outside of a tube using flip chip technology. Preferably, the outside of the tube is structured for being wetted at appropriate positions by the solder. This allows to assemble the sensor easily and accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Christoph Kleinlogel, Ralph Steiner-Vanha, Felix Mayer
  • Patent number: 6779395
    Abstract: A device for measuring the flow of a fluid has a primary duct and a bypass arranged in series to the primary duct. The bypass has a first section and a second section. A baffle plate with a hole for the passage of the fluid is arranged in the first section. The second section comprises two parallel secondary ducts. In the first section, a turbulent flow dominates, while the flow in the second section is primarily laminar. If the turbulent effects in the bypass are sufficiently strong, the ratio of the flows in the primary duct and the bypass can be substantially independent of the fluid properties and of the flow rate. By using two parallel secondary ducts in the second section, high flow rates and therefore strongly turbulent effects can be achieved without exceeding the measuring range of the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Mark Hornung, Jens Kubasch, Moritz Lechner, Felix Mayer
  • Patent number: 6763710
    Abstract: To measure the flow in a liquid, the liquid (1) is led in a duct (2) along a flow sensor (3). The flow sensor (3) is integrated together with a processing and control circuit on a semiconductor substrate. It comprises a heating and, symmetrically thereto, two temperature sensors. The flow is determined from the temperature difference between the temperature sensors and/or from the power dissipation of the heating. For calibrating the sensor, a valve (4) is provided by means of which the duct (2) can be interrupted. This arrangement allows a flow measurement of high accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Andreas Martin Haeberli
  • Publication number: 20040118200
    Abstract: A device for measuring the flow of a fluid has a primary duct and a bypass arranged in series to the primary duct. The bypass has a first section and a second section. A baffle plate with a hole for the passage of the fluid is arranged in the first section. The second section comprises two parallel secondary ducts. In the first section, a turbulent flow dominates, while the flow in the second section is primarily laminar. If the turbulent effects in the bypass are sufficiently strong, the ratio of the flows in the primary duct and the bypass can be substantially independent of the fluid properties and of the flow rate. By using two parallel secondary ducts in the second section, high flow rates and therefore strongly turbulent effects can be achieved without exceeding the measuring range of the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Applicant: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Mark Hornung, Jens Kubasch, Moritz Lechner, Felix Mayer
  • Publication number: 20040118218
    Abstract: A flow detector comprises at least two housing parts with a semiconductor chip having an integrated flow sensor arranged between the housing parts. An opening is provided in one of the housing parts and at least one metal pin extends through the opening and forms an electrical lead-through. A hardened filler material is used for sealing the lead-through against the walls of the opening. This construction provides a well sealed cavity for the fluid to be measured and can be manufactured easily.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Mark Hornung, Moritz Lechner, Jens Kubasch